Former Gap exec now COO at Children's Place

BY JOAN VERDON - The Record - NorthJersey.com

Eric Bauer

The Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. said Tuesday that it hired former Gap executive Eric Bauer as chief operating officer.

Bauer is the latest in a string of executive appointments at the Secaucus-based clothing retailer, as Chief Executive Officer Jane Elfers shapes her executive team.

The chief operating officer job is a new position for The Children's Place. Bauer will be responsible for supply chain, planning and allocation, store operations, finance, information technology and real estate. He also will be involved in the search for a new finance chief. According to a Securities & Exchange Commission filing by the company, Bauer's base pay will be $700,000, with opportunities for an annual performance bonus, and deferred stock awards.

Bauer, 48, was executive vice president, brand operations/chief operating officer for Gap North America. He has 25 years of retail experience, including stints as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Banana Republic, and executive vice president, administration and chief financial officer for Tickets.com.

He began his career as a credit analyst with Banque Arabe et Internationale D'Investissement, and also worked for KPMG Peat Marwick, International Marketing Associates, Taco Bell and Choice Hotels International.

Elfers, who became CEO at the beginning of 2010, has appointed new senior vice presidents in charge of merchandising, design, planning and allocation, outlets and human resources, as well as a new general counsel. The company's chief financial officer stepped down this year and that job has been filled with an interim replacement.